Animals and Dinosaurs

Elephant in the Foyer
see all photos »

We really are not good at getting up early in Washington. Even with the alarm set we cannot manage to get started till 11am.  Most likely due to Joe’s coughing and spluttering all night in an effort to clear his head. After a quick breakfast once again at Starbucks, we headed off to the National History Museum. The first thing that hits you is the giant elephant when you walk in the door. I half expected to see the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex as per the Night at the Museum movie.

Me and my simian friend
see all photos »

First up we decided to tackle the mammals exhibit which was a taxidermist’s dream. Animals of varying species and sizes abound, some hanging from trees above you, others mounted from the ceiling, but most behind Perspex sheeting. We were talking to a guy in the Australian exhibit who was asking his small kids if they would like a kangaroo as a pet. I quickly looked at them and shook my head no as one of them was excitedly nodding yes, warning them that they can kick.

That's one big rib bone!

Now here is one crazy eyed critter - a Fennec
see all photos »

I loved this section, just as I loved Disney’s animal kingdom. I would obviously prefer to see these animals alive – as standing there stuffed and still really makes them feel like stuffed toys. We then moved on into the Dinosaur section and this was fantastic also. Huge skeletons of both the common and the not so common lined the walls and exhibits. It really makes you feel dwarfed against some of the skeletons and glad they are extinct.

A lepoard up in the air above us
see all photos »

We then took a walk through the Bone Exhibit which showed us how people’s area of birth and lifestyles can be identified from their skeleton, allowing a profile to be built to identify the person.  Case studies were shown of bones dub up from inside churches and how the identities of these people from more than two centuries ago were identified.

After a bite to eat in the Atrium cafe and a quick looky-loo in the museum shop, we headed back to the exhibits and looked through how people have evolved during the ages. We also looked at information about animals and how the DNA of most animals on the planet can be traced back to a single rat looking creature – creepy!

T-Rex
see all photos »

After a brief look through the Egyptian exhibit (seeing as we are heading that way we didn’t need to spend much time here), and a walk through of the Oceans area, we headed for the viewing room of the Hope diamond. This 45carat diamond is currently out of its normal necklace setting for some anniversary celebration. This blue diamond didn’t look as impressive as it would have with all the white diamonds in the necklace setting. There were 3 guards prowling around the area. The history of the diamond is outlined on a wall nearby, and says that it started out at nearly 150carats, but over time has been cut down twice for new settings. Imagine what it would have been worth back in that day.

One big whale
see all photos »

Our last stop at the museum was the butterfly exhibit. Here you can pay to walk through a live butterfly enclosure that has over 300 butterflies. Today was our lucky day as it was free Tuesday, and with no lines, we walked straight into the briefing room. After being warned to watch where you step as butterflies like to sit on the ground, we went in to the humidity controlled room. Initially it was hard to spot any butterflies, but when the steam jets turned on, butterflies started to flutter around. As you started to look around the abundant plants, you started to see these colourful insects perched on leaves and branches. One woman walked by and I told her she had one on her head! You have to be quick to get a photo of some of these insects, and just as we were leaving, a beautiful purple/blue butterfly fluttered by and stopped on a ledge. It’s vibrant colour was amazing and we both took many photos.

A wooly mammoth
see all photos »

At 5pm it was time to leave to ensure we made it back to the hotel for our 5:40pm shuttle pickup. Once we paid off the bell captain (again – once to put the luggage in and once to get it out), we not long after were loaded onto the blue SuperShuttle van. After 20mins or so of other pickups, we sat back for the 45min drive to the Dulles International Airport. There are two inbound dedicated lanes for the airport that stretch for kilometres – at least 15mins driving at full belt. This was lucky as it was traffic jam central on the outbound lanes of the freeway to our right.

A pack of zebras
see all photos »

No dramas at the airport – the security screening was quick and we had time to have a meal in the lounge before boarding the plane to London. This allowed us both to try and get as much sleep as possible on the 6hr flight over. This is traditionally the worst jet lag leg of the trip as the 6hr gain in time, the late departure and mid-morning arrival means a very long following day. I think we are going to head straight to the hotel and try and catch up on sleep before the first of the non-stop tours start in two days.